Configuring Environment

2025-07-28T22:12:49Z

Dkobrin: /*Configuring Environmental Variables*/

__FORCETOC__
== Python ==
For Python, Flask, and Django, place your environment variables in a ".env" file located in your app's root directory. This is the same directory that contains your ".htaccess" file. The web server will restrict remote access to this file.

This file should be a list of key/value pairs similar to:
<pre>
DEV_ENV=development
SECRET_API_KEY=***my_secret_key***
</pre>

{{Info|You can add the following code to your ".htacess" file as an extra explicit instruction for Apache to restrict access}}
<pre>
#hide .env files from http access
<FilesMatch "\.env">
Order allow,deny
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>
</pre>

=== Accessing the variables ===
==== Python and Flask ====
To access your environment variables from python you will nee to load them first using the <code>dotenv</code> package and the operating system environment with <code>os</code>.
<pre>
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from os import environ
</pre>

You will need to give load_dotenv the path to your ".env" file and then access the variables.
<pre>
#replace MY_USER_ID and MY_APP_DIR with your account root and app directory
load_dotenv("/home/MY_USER_ID.helioho.st/MY_APP_DIR/.env")

my_dev_environment = os.environ.get("DEV_ENV") # "development"
</pre>

Tutorials

2025-07-28T21:27:53Z

Dkobrin: /* Written Tutorials */

== Video Tutorials ==

All video tutorials are hosted on the [https://www.youtube.com/@HelioHostYT HelioHost YouTube channel].

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* [https://youtu.be/Fgmzvrtu7sA?si=TkEKLMCwJKl_M8Sr Creating a Modded Minecraft Server]
* [https://youtu.be/JAXDD7VYHUk?si=Xi5Hb8nofo3IPzFI How to create a Minecraft Server]
* [https://youtu.be/qXp6pw_aV0w?si=8T6b4bjmomK6cbhQ How to issue a Google Trust Services Certificate]
* [https://youtu.be/IbUi2gcLbuA?si=qipzIXg9humCiExx Installing MariaDB & PHP on a HelioHost VPS]
* [https://youtu.be/zHwWs7Tt2zc?si=yg4o_gZeuiEyuHmc Installing NGINX on a HelioHost VPS]
* [https://youtu.be/-9Q9SAONgtM?si=2fL_z6Jj-fxvU5aB Hosting a Discord Bot with HelioHost]
* [https://youtu.be/Ak2yI8w-mew?si=NH7E7YYpAtFpmztE Hosting a Node.js site with HelioHost]
* [https://youtu.be/taTIjYTidcU?si=Up6Yw6KUdjr6KSUV Getting Started with a HelioHost VPS]

== Written Tutorials ==

* [[:Astro|Astro]]

* [[:Discord_Bot|Discord Bot]]

* [[:Django|Django Tutorials]]
** [[:Django_on_HelioHost|Django on HelioHost]]
** [[:Converting_an_Existing_Django_App|Converting an Existing Django App to work on HelioHost]]

* [[:DNS_Record_Management|DNS Record Management Tutorials]]
** [[:HelioHost_DNS_Records|HelioHost DNS Records]]
*** [[:Google_Site_Verification|Google Site Verification]]
*** [[:Manage_HelioHost_DNS|Manage HelioHost DNS]]
** [[:External_DNS_Hosting|External DNS Hosting]]
*** [[:Cloudflare_DNS_Records|Cloudflare DNS Record Management]]
*** [[:Namecheap_DNS_Records|Namecheap DNS Record Management]]

* [[:Flask|Flask]]

* [[:Gatsby|Gatsby]]

* [[:Golang|Golang as CGI]]

* [[:Node.js|Node.js Tutorials]]
** [[:Node.js|Node.js]]
** [[:Express|Express.js]]
** [[:Next.js|Next.js]]

* [[:Perl|Perl]]

* [[:Plesk Tutorials|Plesk Tutorials]]
** [[:View_Error_Logs|View Error Logs in Plesk]]
** [[:Account_Backups|Account Backups]]
** [[:Create_Website|Creating a Website]]
** [[:GitHub_Webhooks|Update Your Website with GitHub Webhooks and Plesk]]
** [[:Cron_Jobs|Cron Jobs]]
** [[:Password_Protect_a_Directory|Password Protect a Directory in Plesk]]
** [[:Custom_Error_Pages|Creating Custom Error Pages]]

* [[:Python|Python]]

* [[:Ruby_on_Rails|Ruby on Rails]]

* [[:Configuring_Environment|Configuring the Environment]]

* [[:VPS|VPS Tutorials]]
** [[:NGINX|NGINX]]
** [[:VPS_WordPress|Installing WordPress on a VPS running Hestia Control Panel]]
** [[:VPS_Email|Setting Up Email on a VPS running Hestia Control Panel]]

== Tutorial Suggestions ==

Please let us know if there is a specific topic that you think would be good for our growing collection of tutorial videos and written guides. You can post your suggestions in our [https://helionet.org/index/forum/45-customer-service/?do=add Customer Service forum].

[[Category:Tutorials]]

HelioHost Wiki - User contributions [en]

Configuring Environment

Tutorials